


When You Look Me in the Eyes

by MamaBear



Category: One Direction
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Secret love, Worries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-17
Updated: 2013-03-17
Packaged: 2017-12-05 14:15:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/724226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaBear/pseuds/MamaBear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the VMA's Liam's mind won't let him sleep.  Maybe a talk with Niall will help...And who doesn't love a Jonas Brothers reference?</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You Look Me in the Eyes

  
Liam laid in his hotel room in LA early in the morning on September 7, 2012. He couldn't sleep. He and Danielle had gotten to bed around 2:00am after hitting several post VMA parties. They'd had lots of food, moderate drink and a little bit of sex before Danielle went to sleep. Liam considered their conversation on the way back to the hotel from the last party they went to.

"What's the matter, babe?" Danielle had asked Liam as he sat beside her looking out at the never extinquished lights of an LA night.

"Nothing." He answered.

"That's not true, Liam. Something is bothering you. I can tell." Danielle replied.

"It's the new album." Liam finally answered so she'd leave him alone with his thoughts.

"What about it?"

"Will it be good enough?" Liam answered her, finally looking over at her.

"Of course it will be, babe, don't be silly." Danielle replied, yawning. She must have been satisfied with his answer, and hers, as she sat silently, holding his hand, for the last few minutes before arriving back at their hotel. Liam didn't mind, right now he preferred the silence.

Now, an hour later when all he could hear was silence, Liam wanted someone to talk to. He grabbed his phone and went into the bathroom, closing the door silently behind him. He texted all the boys to see if any of them were awake, or sober enough to read for that matter. The only response he got was from Niall, who told him to come on over. Liam pulled a shirt on over his boxers and taking his phone and keycard he left the room to go down the hall. The note he left on his pillow would be enough to keep Danielle from wondering where he was, although he doubted she'd even be up before noon.

"Li! Come in, mate!" Niall yelled when Liam knocked on his door.

"Shh Niall, you'll wake the dead!" Liam scolded him as he closed the door and walked over to look out of Niall's window.

"If people are asleep on this floor it's cause they've passed out, man. Of course you probably didn't drink enough alcohol, as usual." Niall added as he flopped down on his messy bed.

"I had more than the usual, Niall, but I'm still standing." Liam replied without turning around, sighing heavily.

"What's troubling you, Li?" Niall asked, realizing there was a purpose to this visit.

"Worried about the album..." Liam murmured quietly.

"What's to worry about, we're nearly done with it..." Niall asked, puzzled, thinking that Liam was concerned about the deadline.

"What if the fans don't like it?" Liam asked seriously, pacing around the room. Niall looked at Liam and laughed.

"Really, mate? We've just won three VMA's, Liam! We could record 13 tracks of Harry reading the London phone directory and sell 2 million copies the first week." Niall replied with a laugh.

"This is true, Niall. But you do know that if Take Me Home isn't as good as Up All Night it will affect sales of the next one." Liam finally sat down on the bed.

"OK, so now you're worried about our third album, too?"

"I suppose I am." Liam admitted quietly, his head in his hands.

"Alright Liam, this goes deeper than the album...what's really bothering you?"

Liam sat there for a few moments trying to put a finger on what was really bothering him.

"Is it Danielle?"

"No, we're content." Liam answered honestly. They were content; boring, old married couple, content. The spark had been waning, but the habit was strong and they were good for each other.

"Then what is it, Li?" Niall asked again.

"I just wonder how long this will last."

"What, Liam, the band?"

"The band, the attention, the fame, the money." Liam answered wondering when all that stuff started mattering to him. Niall must have read his mind.

"When did that become important to you, Li? Hasn't it always been about making good music." Niall was way more perceptive than most people gave him credit for.

"I don't know, Niall. Maybe since we've all been drifting apart." Liam answered remembering a time when they'd all sleep in one room on the road, even though they each had their own. Sometimes all 5 slept in one bed if it was kingsized.

"Yeah, I can feel it too, Liam." Niall replied, sighing and then continuing, "We just won 3 VMA's tonight and didn't even celebrate together."

"I don't blame anyone for that Niall, we've all got our own friends. No one said we had to only be friends with each other. And when we're not working we should do our own thing, so that when we are in each others pockets for months at a time we don't want to kill each other." Liam had already analyzed that part of it.

"That is true..." Niall looked over and stared at Liam. Liam caught something in Niall's eye that he hadn't seen in a long time. Liam had thought that emotion was dead and gone a long time ago. He returned Niall's stare.

"Do you remember Ni, when we first got put together...the week we spent at the bungalow." Liam asked. Niall smiled and blushed. Liam laughed, then.

"You do still blush, Niall. I haven't seen that in forever, man." Liam answered.

"Well, that was a pretty embarrassing time for me, Liam." Niall answered, eyes downcast as he remembered what had happened between them 2 years before.

"I'm sorry for that, Niall." Liam replied.

"It's ok, Liam. You weren't interested, it's that simple." Niall didn't hold his unrequited crush on Liam personally. Liam was straight, Niall was whatever he felt like at any time. He still loved Liam like a brother, always had, always will. They'd always been there for each other, so no harm was done.

"I often wonder how things would have been...." Liam's voice drifted off as he got up and went over to the window.

"Sometimes I wonder that myself, Li. What if you had returned my love?" Niall didn't miss the tensing of Liam's shoulders as he stood at the window. Niall walked over to him and stood right behind him, not touching him.

"That's just it, Niall...I did." Liam turned around to face Niall's wide stare. Niall frowned, his brain trying to grasp the implications of Liam's words.

"You did..." Niall whispered.

"Yes, Niall. But, I was scared. We'd just started out and with the competition and just trying to figure out who we were, I couldn't let myself be distracted. And then it was over and we had our contract, then the first album, the promo work, the tours...you know how crazy it's been. Then Danielle...At first it was a real romance with us...now it's sort of a friends with benefits thing. Besides all that, though, I guess I worried about the effect it would have on the others." Liam finished and Niall was still standing there with wide eyes.

"I really don't think the others would care, Liam. Look at Louis and Harry, if those two don't figure it out soon they are going to explode. Everyone on this planet already thinks they are together but those two. And Zayn isn't the type to begrudge someone their happiness." Niall had thought long and hard about this.

"Well, it doesn't really matter now, anyways. I'm too late." Liam whispered as he turned back to the window, resting his forehead against the cool glass.

"Who says you're too late, Liam." Niall replied, resting his hands on Liam's hunched shoulders, urging him to turn around. Liam's heart raced as his brain tried to process Niall's words.

"But..." Liam started to speak, but Niall cut his words off with his lips pressed to Liam's. It was a soft, sweet kiss, quick and then it was over. Liam and Niall stared into each others eyes and found a world of possibilities.

"I love you, Liam." Niall said quietly as Liam's warm brown eyes took in his twinkling blue ones.

"Niall, you don't know how it makes me feel to hear you say that. When you look me in the eyes, and tell me that you love me, everything's alright." They both laughed as Liam realized he was quoting the Jonas Brothers, again.

"Stop, Li. Just tell me how you feel..." Niall began, then stopped as Liam drew him close and kissed him. These kisses had more urgency, depth, quiet desperation.

"I love you, too, Ni."


End file.
